SOTA c15s02
Text The morning preparations were silent, after a long, sleepless night spent searching the town on high alert. But there had been no sign of the sheriff, or his attacker, or the thing that had come screaming through the night. Just the cold night, lit by the pale moon and stars above, that watched the events unfolding below with their twinkling apathy. No one could comfort Antares, but the stallion had at least started channeling his frustration as he helped Apple Bloom finish packing the equipment that would be necessary for the trek across the desert. He was anxious to get moving, and to try and prove himself again, and Luna couldn't blame him: she was anxious to go herself. The sun had just begun to rise, and Celestia and Shining Armor were currently at the train platform with Princess Luna, waiting for the arrival of the platoon of soldiers Princess Celestia had sent them. Once their own Celestia gave them their orders, she would join Antares, Scrivener Blooms, Twilight Sparkle and of course Luna Brynhild on the trek across the desert. Scarlet Sage, Apple Bloom, and Meadowlark would be staying back to assist with defending the town, as would the ponies of this layer. Scarlet Sage was grouchy at being left behind, but knew it was for the best: Meadowlark also didn't like the notion of having to stay, but considering what had happened last night and the hard march they would be making, she knew they didn't really have a better option. She could do more here in town, and while the others were gone, she could begin making salves and medicines, just in case. It wouldn't be long now before the military train arrived... a train loaded with Royal Guard, the soldiers on board calm and unaware of what they were getting into. All they knew was that they were being sent to Appleloosa, where they would be placed under the command of Captain Shining Armor to assist with defending a frontier town against outside incursions. None of them understood the seriousness of what they were approaching, and all of them were relaxed, chatting easily with each other. It didn't seem any different from any field exercise they had done, after all. There was more than one platoon: sixty troops in total filled the passenger cars of the armored train, as it rumbled at high speed through the wasteland. The engines were amplified by magic so it could move faster than the regular steam engines like the Friendship Express, so the engineer didn't have to work as hard to keep the furnace burning as he checked the time, then returned his gaze to watch through the windshield. Then he frowned curiously as a vibration ran through the train, approaching a side window and looking out into the desert: there wasn't much to be seen, though, and he shrugged after a moment, blaming the old tracks before he turned around just as something hammered viciously into the roof. He had enough time to begin to look up in surprise before a black claw ripped through the metal like it was paper, and then he saw no more. There was a faint banging and a crashing, but none of the soldiers paid any attention to it: the train rumbled and jounced often as it was, after all. They continued to talk until a lieutenant strode up through their cabin, calling clearly: “Come on, colts, enough gossiping like fillies! Get on your gear and get ready to move out, we arrive at the destination in ten!” The lieutenant reached the sliding door leading to the engine, shoving it open... and then freezing as he saw a massive, awful thing in front of him. Slowly, his eyes roved upwards, an undeniable, terrible fear curling through his system as all chatter stopped behind him, drawing his eyes weakly over the beast until he was staring up past the drooling, grinning jaws of the godawful monster and into its violet eyes... Celestia cocked her head curiously from where she stood outside the terminal so she could watch for the train. It was just on the horizon now, approaching... very quickly, she thought. She frowned a little at this, feeling like something was off as she narrowed her amethyst eyes... before they widened in horror as she realized that the smoke wasn't just coming from the stack on top of the train. The train itself was on fire, and if anything, it wasn't slowing down... it was accelerating. The ivory mare spun around and charged into the station, heading straight for where Princess Luna and Shining Armor were looking curiously up before the ivory mare's horn began to glow as she shouted over the howl of the approaching train: “Get down, now!” The two stared in shock for a moment... and outside, the train bounced and shrieked along the track, almost dislodging itself before it tore into the terminal and smashed into the empty train car that had been left behind, striking with such violence it reduced the car to shrapnel and the engine all but exploded. Chunks of metal flew in all directions as burning and wrecked passenger cars were flung like toys into the terminal, crashing through the half-finished building as they crunched and warped like cans from the sheer force they had been thrown by. As the building collapsed in a blast of smoke and rubble, one empty passenger car flipped violently through the air, sailing in a high arc before it crashed down on the edge of the road leading into Appleloosa with a clang. Other pieces of train littered the area, the remains of the abandoned passenger train car smashed more than halfway through one wall like a broken bone jutting through skin. Slowly, the dust settled as smoke wafted upwards, twisting and curling towards the sky... and then there was a flash of light and a burst of sound and force, a crater blown in the wreckage as Celestia snarled and arched her back, then trembled once and slumped, panting weakly. Blood dripped from her mouth and one of her ears as Shining Armor and Princess Luna both slowly stood with shivers of horror, and the ivory mare shook her head slowly as she murmured: “It seems we have... a problem.” “This... this... no...” Shining Armor whispered, shaking his head in disbelief before he looked over his shoulder at Princess Luna, who had the same shellshocked expression on her face. “No... they can't... the train, but... the train was...” “Something clearly happened. Someone didn't want any interference here...” Celestia stopped, then spat a stream of blood to the side, her vision going blurry for a moment before she steadied herself. She had used up a lot of strength shielding them from the crash... of course, the fact that one of the train cars had hit her shield head-on hadn't helped her conserve her energy. “I need to investigate and... Shining Armor, please escort Princess Luna back to town.” “No, we have to look for survivors! These were my soldiers, Celestia, I...” The unicorn stallion was cut off when the ivory mare reached up and touched his shoulder silently, looking down at him with amethyst eyes that understood his pain all too well. “And if you want to honor them, then you have to continue to do your duty.” she said softly, and when the stallion gritted his teeth, she said quietly: “If something attacked this train, and it wasn't just some accident... that something might still be out there right now. Either heading into town to attack Appleloosa or perhaps retreating through the desert. I'm in no shape right now to make the journey, but my sister is only waiting for word to leave. If we move quickly, she might be able to catch up to whatever did this.” Shining Armor hesitated for a moment longer, looking back and forth through the rubble of the station, and then he swallowed and saluted sharply before turning to Princess Luna. The sapphire mare looked up uneasily at Celestia, but she nodded herself after a moment, saying quietly: “I'll send a message to my sister and tell her what happened. She'll figure out a way to help.” “I hope so. Now go.” Celestia said quietly, and the two ponies nodded before turning and hurrying away. The ivory mare watched them run towards the town, and then she closed her eyes and said quietly: “You should go with them.” “No, Tia. I'd rather stay here. One wounded little pony is always a better target than two healthy ones, after all... that's the law of the savannah. Assuming they have ponies out there.” Discombobulation replied softly from where he was now quietly sitting behind her. Celestia smiled faintly as she looked over her shoulder at him, and Bob cleared his throat a little before rubbing at his neck awkwardly and murmuring: “I've learned to put my discomfort aside. It's not much harder than giving up my pride, which of course I lost long ago along with my dignity and self-respect when I was enslaved by silly little Twilight Sparkle.” “You were never a slave.” Celestia said softly, and Discombobulation smiled a little as he hopped to his feet, walking over to her and looking down at her silently. “I was a slave to you.” he replied after a moment, and then he awkwardly looked away even as she reached up and touched his waist gently. “But... well, let's put things aside for now, shall we, and... you can pretend you're a crime scene investigator from the land of sunshine and oranges, and I'll pretend that I'm a mentalist, and together we'll crack this case, Agent Lisbon.” Celestia nodded slowly, and even as emotion lingered in her eyes, she asked in a quiet, serious voice: “What do you sense?” Discombobulation opened his mouth, then slowly closed it as he met her eyes before smiling faintly. “Something bad enough that even I think a joke would be inappropriate right now. What does that tell you?” “That things are more dangerous than I would like. I only hope that...” She broke off as he realized she wasn't sure exactly what she hoped: all her desires felt conflicting, with the unknown they faced and the worries that danced through her mind, before she smiled faintly and closed her eyes. “Well, I'm sure you understand.” Discombobulation nodded, and then the two turned, striding side-by-side towards the smoldering wreckage of the ruined, melted engine as Celestia thought of her sister... her sibling, who the moment she received the message from Shining Armor, tossed one of their equipment satchels on and levitated her makeshift spear beside her, calling quickly: “We move out, now!” Scrivener Blooms grunted as he picked up the other satchels, and Twilight's horn glowed as she glanced at him and tightened the clasps and belts quickly around the stallion. He nodded in thanks as Antares looked up in surprise even as he shared a quick goodbye with Meadowlark, then the young stallion winced and stumbled into a run when his parents took off, hurrying after them as Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom both called 'good luck' to the group. He fell in pace with his parents quickly, however, following behind the three as Luna ran in the lead, Scrivener and Twilight on either side as they ran down the street, the young stallion managing out: “Wait, where... where are we...” “Straight to the mountains, to the enemy's lair.” Luna replied sharply, her eyes focused on the horizon and spear floating beside her. “We run as far and hard as we dare, then march the rest of the way... with the hope that on the path, we overtake whatever enemy did this so we may punish it first for its treachery.” Antares looked back and forth, breathing a little harder as he followed in the wake of the three ponies, before he asked almost desperately: “But... wait... what about Aunt Tia-” “Celestia will be fine... if anything, only disappointed that she will have to stay behind to help keep an eye on the town, but time is of the essence now! The enemy may be vulnerable, and we must strike while the opportunity presents itself!” Luna replied immediately, and Antares nodded a little, still feeling a twitch of unease... and yet excitement, too. Here he was, with those ponies he looked up to, and being given a chance to fix what had happened last night and prove himself for real this time... But after almost an hour of pushing themselves as hard as they could, they caught no traces of any enemy even as they crossed the desert on the straightest path towards the ominous mountains in the distance. There were dark thunderheads brewing around the mountains, but no rumbling, and no flashes of light, at least: merely splotches of thick blackness swirling against the otherwise blue and cloudless sky. They slowed their pace as Luna cursed under her breath, looking back and forth with both frustration and incredulity before she glanced at Twilight Sparkle, who nodded hesitantly before her horn began to glow. Antares looked dumbly at his parents, then sighed a little as Luna looked at Scrivener, and the stallion shrugged as they traded some communication, before the glossy-black unicorn said clearly: “Mom.” Luna looked over her shoulder in surprise, frowning a little... before rolling her eyes in understanding with a grumble. “Oh damnation, I apologize, Antares. I do not mean to neglect thee, but 'tis of little importance. I asked Twilight to scan the area before and ahead of us with magic, that is all... I cannot believe that something would outpace us through all this accursed land. I do not care how familiar it is with the terrain... we were moving at great speed, and with how flat this great sandbox is I expected to at least be able to see our opposition.” “Yeah. I understand.” Antares glanced nervously over his shoulder, sensing what his mother implied: that if they hadn't been completely wrong about their enemy returning to base, maybe it had expected them to follow or spotted them somehow and was now trying to sneak up behind them, or laying in ambush. Or maybe they had just been wrong... but Antares didn't think so. And even if the enemy took a rambling, wider path back to what was likely the position of its stronghold... all around them was reddish sand and dirt and cacti, with precious few landmarks and ridges to hide behind. Unless their enemy was tireless as well as faster than them, he couldn't imagine how the hell it could escape being seen. “I... no. I thought I caught something...” Twilight said hesitantly, and Luna looked up sharply before the Lich shook her head slowly, frowning nervously as she looked out into the distance. “But it was just there for a moment, only a short distance in front of us...” Luna growled in frustration, looking back and forth, but there was no sign of anything... and finally, she sighed tiredly and dropped her head, muttering: “Perhaps 'twas some desert creature then, bolting into hiding.” Twilight nodded hesitantly, and then the glow died out from around her horn as the four continued onwards, Antares shifting uncomfortably back and forth. But for the most part, their march was quiet, with only the occasional moment of conversation, and usually it was to ask for one of the canteens so they could refresh themselves. Luna Brynhild was thinking hard, doing her best to ignore the growing, sweltering heat as Scrivener kept his eyes forwards, breathing hard but not letting himself slow down. Antares didn't seem to mind the desert air too much, and Twilight only grumbled on occasion when the sand irritated her stitching. Around mid-afternoon, Luna looked over her shoulder at her son, who glanced up curiously before the sapphire mare nodded once and said quietly: “We have made good time. The desert distances are hard to judge, but... the mountains feel close, do they not?” Antares looked up after a moment, studying said mountains, and then he nodded slowly: they didn't look that much closer, but all the same, like Luna said, they didn't feel so far away. And as he studied them silently, he couldn't help but say quietly: “I wish Aunt Tia and Scar were here.” Luna smiled faintly at this, looking ahead and replying softly: “This may surprise thee, Antares, but so do I. But Scarlet Sage... she is a Blood Seer. And from what Celestia has gathered, this enemy's blood may be poison.” Antares nodded slowly, thinking of his sister's powers: inherited from an ancestor who had made a deal with a demon, Scarlet Sage could affect the vital essence of another person. Both that of herself, and that of others, able to exert tremendous influence over those that she actually tasted the blood of. But while she was immune to most blood-borne diseases and poisons, corruption similar to the stuff that ran in Scrivener's veins would drive her insane or nearly kill her if she accidentally made contact with it. Then the sapphire mare added sourly: “And I hate to admit this, but I always feel better with my big sister at my side or back. 'Tis good to know that should the battle seem lost, after all, thou has a pony on thy side who can simply burn the entire battlefield to ashes. Or summon meteors. Meteors are most fantastic.” Twilight Sparkle sighed, but she was smiling a little despite herself before Scrivener said dryly: “And you pretty much are a meteor, Luna. All you do is run into things, after all.” “Oh shut up, Scrivener Blooms. Besides, thou art one to talk, I fling thee into the face of monsters far more often than I fling myself.” Luna replied pompously, and Scrivener sighed tiredly before the sapphire winged unicorn suddenly stopped and stabbed her spear down into the ground, and Antares winced and staggered to a stop beside his mother as both Twilight and Scrivener halted to look at her curiously. “Come, I think we have only two hours of travel left, and we must keep up our strength. Break out what rations we have brought, we shall eat a good meal and rest for a moment before finishing our march to the mountain, and hopefully we shall make the pass and find the enemy stronghold by evening.” Scrivener nodded as Antares smiled a little, and Twilight glanced apprehensively towards the mountains before she asked quietly: “Are you sure that it's a good idea to attack this place at night? I mean... normally darkness is our ally, but if these things are nocturnal...” “Then we meet them on an even battlefield.” Luna glanced towards the mountains in the distance, nodding slowly before she smiled grimly. “But Twilight, thou forgets that I do not seek the advantage. I seek vengeance. Let the enemy know I am marching on them, I care not: let them prepare, and we shall spring whatever traps they throw in our way. Let this be a battle of darkness matching darkness; we shall see who truly owns the night.” Scrivener smiled a little despite himself as Antares gazed over at his mother, feeling both pride and unease. But he couldn't help it: her confidence inspired him, but the ruthlessness he heard in his mother's voice, the way she could be so... well... almost cruel... Slowly, Antares looked over his three parental figures: Twilight, who was compassionate and caring, but he had seen her power and her anger, and knew both could be fearsome. And he didn't miss the way that she sometimes tickled her own stitches; how even now, her hoof was rubbing at the front of her gemstone vest, almost like she was eager. And of course, his father, who he respected and admired... but Scrivener had a darker side Antares could see all too well, even beneath the earth pony's calmness. Then again, Antares' acuity meant he all too often saw what lurked inside ponies, what they wanted to keep under masks and armor and lock and key... The young stallion shook his head hurriedly, turning his eyes down with a blush... then he glanced up as Scrivener held out a box to him with a smile, saying quietly: “Here, this one's for you.” Antares took it, opening the box to find a full meal: dried apple slices, nuts, a sandwich and a bottle of water, all of it only slightly-squished and neatly packed into the box. He glanced up with a lame smile, and Scrivener only shrugged as he said finally: “Sorry. There's no meat or anything in easy access around here.” “Aye, I did see a deer, though. But 'twas walking around and talking to the ponies, so I thought it would be rather rude to kill, dismember, and gorge myself upon it.” Luna said blandly, and Twilight gave her a flat look as Luna paused meditatively. “But I do sometimes wonder. Would an intelligent deer taste better than the ones back home, their lacking, animal counterparts?” “I would never eat another pony.” Scrivener said mildly, taking an apple in each hoof out of his bag, and then he easily tossed one of these over to Luna, who caught it with a slight smile to the stallion as Antares began to eat his sandwich. “My problem is less with eating another sentient being, though, and more with the fact that ponies tend to eat all kinds of sugar and candy and alcohol and weird things. And I really don't want to be absorbing all that stuff second-hoof when I already eat enough junk food with you as it is.” “So thou art saying... ponies are junk food?” Luna looked thoughtful at this, then she slowly looked over at Twilight Sparkle, grinning slightly and asking: “Thy body parts grow back, correct?” “Go away, Luna.” Twilight grumbled, and Antares laughed despite himself before he quickly finished off his sandwich, then smiled as he picked up his bottle of water. The young stallion slowed as he ate the rest of his meal, taking the time to study his parents. Scrivener and Luna ate only their apples, and Twilight only took a drink from the canteen when it was offered. Antares, meanwhile, had eaten almost everything in the box and only recognized too late that while his parents had given him so much to eat... they kept almost nothing for themselves. Even if they didn't have to eat, it still provided them with energy and settled the pangs of hunger, whether that hunger was real or not. He knew that even Twilight sometimes felt like she had to make herself a meal, or liked to snack on something... even if as the living dead, she clearly didn't really need the food. And here he was, the only one with a real meal, and he understood all too well that the real reason Luna had called a halt was just so they could feed him, and give him the time to rest. He felt... it was hard to put into words. Yes, he appreciated it, and he knew how much his parents cared about him... but he was a strong adult too, not a kid. And he didn't need all this special treatment, even from his parents... and dammit, it simply made him feel embarrassed and ashamed of himself on top of everything else, especially since he should have understood right away what was going on. The glossy-black unicorn shifted, looking down into the box before he said finally: “I think I'm done. Do you guys want...” “No, we can save it for later.” Scrivener answered, and then he reached out and took the box, closing it up and putting it back in one of the saddlebags as Antares forced a lame smile. “You ready to go, Luna?” “Aye, I am.” Luna stopped, then glanced slowly up at the mountains, saying hesitantly: “I think I see something in the mountains... 'tis perhaps because of the angle of the sun, the way it shines down... it passes enough light around those murky, looming clouds I see something glinting strangely. Come, let us continue the march, now that we have some heading.” Scrivener nodded as Twilight stood up, and Antares threw off his worries and discomfort as he looked up, focusing once more on the task at hoof and telling himself that if he really wanted to prove he didn't need to be treated like a foal, he would prove it with how he handled himself on this mission alongside his parents. And when the others looked at him and Luna yanked her spear out of the earth, he simply nodded firmly, then fell in pace behind the three ponies as they turned and strode towards the dark mountains that loomed on the horizon, as if waiting eagerly for their approach. Top ↑